Connecticut corporations, academic institutions and nonprofits are teaming up to tackle the implications of artificial intelligence through the Connecticut AI Alliance, or CAIA. Sixteen colleges and universities have joined the consortium to keep up with the rapid pace of change AI has sewn across every facet of the state economy.
“There are significant resources in AI education, workforce development and research and innovation across the state, but those resources do not talk to each other,” says Vahid Behzadan, co-founder of CAIA and assistant professor of computer science and data science at the University of New Haven. “But employers are not aware of the talent, development and training pipelines that are already in place across the state.”
CAIA is the result of a state taskforce spearheaded by Gov. Ned Lamont last year to identify many of the challenges imposed by AI. The consortium is focused on pooling its resources to advance the development, application and impact of the disruptive technology across five key pillars:
- Research and development: Promoting interdisciplinary research collaborations to address real-world AI applications and challenges
- Workforce training: Delivering skills-based programs to equip Connecticut’s workforce with necessary expertise
- Business and industry growth: Fostering businesses and startups through access to computing resources and knowledge transfer
- Innovation infrastructure: Establishing shared technical infrastructure, including a state-wide AI computing cluster
- Community engagement: Building a community through seminars, workshops and industry events
Consortia surrounding the advancement of AI have also cropped up in New York, New Mexico and with the help of national nonprofits.
One of the key benefits of CAIA will be its shared computing infrastructure, which will assist smaller stakeholders without the sufficient financial capital or expertise to make investments in AI on their own, Behzadan says. “The dividends the alliance will pay to its members is more valuable than potential conflicts of interest”—such as competing for student enrollment.
While Yale and other research universities are offering technical support, they will also gain insight from the consortium’s community colleges that are tapped into the state’s workforce needs, says Ron Harichandran, CAIA co-founder and dean of New Haven’s engineering department.
CAIA institutions include Albertus Magnus College, Charter Oak State College, Connecticut College, Fairfield University, Goodwin University, Mitchell College, Quinnipiac University, Sacred Heart University, Trinity College, University of Bridgeport, University of Connecticut, University of Hartford, University of New Haven, University of Saint Joseph, Wesleyan University and Yale University.
“Different partners have different angles,” Harichandran says. “Collectively, I think we can have a strong impact.”
